Books to Read If You Love “Milk and Honey”

Rupi Kaur has created an explosion of love for contemporary poetry. Her debut collection, “Milk and Honey,” is now in its 16th print after selling almost half a million copies. It became famous for discussing many powerful themes such as abuse, love and womanhood. It serves as the first poetry book for many of its readers. There are now multiple authors coming out and telling beautiful stories just like Kaur. Here are a few:

“Lullabies” by Lang Leav

Leav’s collection, “Lullabies,” is the winner of the 2014 Goodreads Choice award for poetry. “Lullabies” is considered the sequel to her “Love & Misadventure” book. But fear not, Leav’s books can be read out of order. It is musically written poetry, hence the title, “Lullabies.” Art accompanies the changes in chapters, giving the eye more things to look at. It tackles things like first love and heartbreak, but in a way that hasn’t been written before.

“Bitter Sweet Love” by Michael Faudet

Faudet and Leav are two poets that have found love in each other. They have been together for quite some time now. You can sense those small doses of love in both of their collections. It is a romantic, sensual read that gets across the true meaning of love. It does so in an erotic way – so leave it for a mature audience. The topic of love is so easily overdone but Faudet manages to make it beautiful again.

“I Wrote This for You” by pleasefindthis (Ian S. Thomas and Jon Ellis)

This book is a collection of poetry and photography. The author uses photography to highlight some of the most powerful meanings behind his poetry. It is an overload for the senses but in the best way. The reader feels the poetry and sees it in the photography. It is a sweet, blissful read that will go by fast. If you enjoy this collection, look for the next book, “I Wrote This For You and Only You.”

All of these books are great cast-offs into the world of contemporary poetry. They are simple, yet beautiful. These three collections resonate with what “Milk and Honey” has given the world. Look for all of the author’s past work if you just cannot get enough.

Judith Arendall, a Nashville native, is a Junior english major with a Writing, Rhetoric and Publication emphasis. In Judith’s free time, aside from writing for CisternYard, she interns at Blue Bicycle Books.